Operations And Protcols

Minnesota officials said the emergency response to the deadly failure of a major bridge in Minneapolis went smoothly with the exception of some communications glitches, in an event that is being viewed as a good test of a large regional city's ability to respond to terrorist attack or natural disaster.

MASSACHUSETTS -- A strike vote by paramedics, EMTs and dispatchers with American Medical Response is threatening to cut ambulance service in 13 Bay State communities, leaving emergency planners grasping to come up with contingency plans.